


Welcome To High School

by RiverRunsCold



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Gotham (TV)
Genre: Abusive Relationship, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Middle School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Baby BatCat, Background Relationships, Boys In Love, Child Abuse, Depression, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Drugs, F/F, F/M, Girls in Love, Homophobia, Loss of Parent(s), M/M, Mental Health Issues, Nerdy Ed, Nerdy Harleen, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychology, Punk Ossie, Slight Canon Divergence, Stockholm Syndrome, Suicidal Thoughts, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-01
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-08 13:01:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11082123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiverRunsCold/pseuds/RiverRunsCold
Summary: Where your heart will be broken multiple times.Where you will be judged by your appearance.Where you will spend most of your day wishing you were elsewhere.Where you will make friends and enemies.Where you will get in fights and learn painful lessons.Where six valuable hours of your life will be wasted everyday.Where you will see a lot of people that you really don't want to see.Have a nice four years.





	Welcome To High School

As soon as Oswald's phone alarm shrieked violently in his ear, he groaned, and shifted in his bed, retrieving the infernal device from it's spot on his purple pillow.

"Ugh, shit!" He cursed quitely as the movement caused him to nearly fall out of his bed. He closed his hand around the large, purple cased device and turned it towards his face, the light coming from it seemingly blinding him. He squinted very exaggeratedly before typing in his passcode, the song Emperors New Clothes emanating from it. "C'mon! Shut the fuck up!" He yelled quietly at it before pressing the button that dissarms the alarm. When the music finally stopped, Oswald sighed, falling back onto his bed. "In hindsight..I definitely shouldn't have made my favorite song my alarm." He mumbled, eventually clearing the sleep from his eyes and standing from his silk sheeted bed. He winced as he stood, all of his muscles tired and aching in protest. The ebony haired young man sighed in response to the pain, having to deal with it almost everyday, being a victim of reaccuring arthritis. The boy slowly stumbled his way to his large closet. He blinked a few times, staring at his sickly reflection in the mirror hammered to the wardrobe. The sight of himself looking so small and utterly helpless made him cringe, shying away from the mirror as he opened the wardrobe door. The door creaked open on it's old hinges, Oswald's eyes narrowing at the noise. A firm knock sounded on his door, pulling him from his current thoughts. "Yes!?"

"Small Master Cobblepot!" The almost cold voice of the maid called from the other side of door, making Oswald roll his eyes with a sigh. He'd been expecting his father.

"Yes, Olga!?" He shouted back, narrowing his eyes when his voice broke. "Fucking puberty." Oswald mumbled, still waiting for the foreign maid to respond.

"It is time for school." She reminded him, making him roll his eyes towards the ceiling and scoff.

"Yes, Olga, I know that!" He snapped back, hearing the telltale forgein mumbling as the older woman trotted down the hallway. "God!" He scoffed yet again, turning away from his wardrobe with his signature Panic! At The Disco t-shirt and ripped skinny jeans in hand. He was always teased for wearing the same clothes everyday when he was in middle school, they called him 'disgusting' and 'weird'. But, the only reason he wore that outfit everyday was because his mother was broke, she could barely afford to pay the rent on the apartment they used to live in together. She somehow found time to wash this same outfit everyday though, between the continuous fights with the landlord and the constant tears that were shed. 'I will buy you a nice outfit one day' she had promised him once.

Oswald didn't even realize he was crying until a sob wracked through his queasy stomach, pulling him from his melancholy thoughts. It had been this way ever since he had arrived at his father's mansion. A constant stream of tears falling from his azure eyes every morning and night. Everything here somehow reminded him of his late mother. Sometimes even putting on clothes and getting dressed for church (which Oswald never wanted to go to, but was forced to by his step mother) was difficult.

Sometimes he found himself contemplating suicide, turning over a knife in his pale hands as he sat on the edge of the tub after a particularly depressing shower. He had sobbed as he held it to his naked chest, letting the blade dig into the skin there before quickly tossing it at the wall opposite him, his breathing irractic.

He shivered as the thoughts, and the vivid images, passed through his overactive mind. Sometimes he even visualized himself actually going through with it, but stopped the terrible daydream when his concerned father found his limp body in the tub. Now that he found himself thinking about it again, he shivered, another sob wracking his small body. Oswald shook his head, stopping himself from subconsciously biting his messily colored nails as another, louder sob actually bubbled past his thin lips. He immediately cupped a hand in front of his mouth, his eyes fluttering as more tears escaped them.

"Goddammit!" He swore loudly under his breath, finally pulling the shirt that was too big for him over his head. At it's full length the shirt nearly looked like a dress on the pale boy. Not that he cared one bit, as long as he wasn't forced to wear any of the sweaters and suits his father had bought him. He chewed at his bottom lip as a migraine thrummed through his temple's, the steady sound of his heartbeat amplified in his ears. He rubbed at the sensitive areas, wincing uncomfortablely. The short boy collapsed back onto his bed, grabbing hold of his black, self-ripped skinny jeans, holding them almost fondly to his chest. This outfit was one he'd wear everyday, it reminded him too much of his mother, he had to wear it, have it close to him, he had to. He sighed yet again as he sat up, dizzy and nasuated from crying too much. He knew one way to calm his ever growing nerves. He pulled a rumpled up pack of his step mother's old cigarettes from the back pocket of his jeans, a mischievous smile lighting up his usually dark features. The box was black and gold, the cigarettes inside mirroring that same color scheme. They were so unique and flawless looking, even after being slightly squished in his pocket. He absolutely needed one.

The young boy crept around his room slowly, searching for any type of match or fire starter he could find. He smiled when he came upon a small matchbook set next to the lavender candle on his bedside table. Oswald quickly rushed back over to his bed, knowing no one would be awake for a while, he didn't really bother turning on his fan. He just simply picked himself up off of his bed again, meandering his way to his large bedroom window. He pulled the window open with trembling fingers, feeling brave enough to actually swing his aching legs out the window, perching himself on the edge of the windowsill. He did have a room on the top floor, though he enjoyed the way the wind tickled his bare legs as they dangled, the hem of his large shirt fluttering in the breeze. He stared at the cigarettes with an almost merthful smile, thinking of his bitchy step mother as he tore open the fancy package yet again, pulling a single cigarette from inside. He was delighted to find out that the cigarette was also much longer than your everyday Marlboro, the size and color aesthetic very much appealing to him. He immediately placed it between his pink lips, puckering them slightly as he strikes a match successfully on the first try, nudging the cigarette closer to the evergrowing flame. He was able to light it right before the match burned down, Oswald immediately blowing it off before tossing it into the shrubbery below. Once that was taken care of, he leaned back slowly, enjoying the slight breeze as he puffed out thick clouds of almost black smoke. Another gust of wind licks his solemn face, blowing, what little of his hair that is not covered in moose, out of his azure eyes. He smiled as the breeze steadily woke him up.

"Looks like rain." He observed pensively, a smile crawling it's way up his face. Oswald laughed softly under his breath, it quickly evolving into a quiet coughing fit. "Of-of course it's going to rain...it is Gotham, after all." He took another drag of his step mother's cigarette, spotting the grey school bus coming to a stop on the road next to the house. He took one last puff before stubbing it out on the window sill, tossing the contraband into the shrubs below. As soon as he's back into his bedroom he throws on his skinny jeans and stares at himself in the mirror, fussing with his hair. After he was finished he grinned unenthusiastically at the reflective surface, flashing jazzhands at his reflection.

"Showtime!"

 

\-------

Edward Nygma loved going to school, for the sole purpose of getting as far away from his parents as he can. They were both very abusive towards him, his father beating him as he recieved his newest report card, constantly accusing him of cheating. That insult was beat into so many times that he started skipping his classes, intentionally letting his grades slip, hoping that would make his father happy. It didn't, if anything, it just made it all worse. His mother beat him verbally, shouting about how he was not wanted by either of them, talking about putting him up for adoption. At some point, Edward doesn't recall when, they had truly broken him. To the point where he would do anything to escape them. He tried running away, but was subsequently caught by his annoyingly noisy mother, punished by his father vigorously for it. After that, he was well and truly desperate, he stole several bottles of prescription pills from the kitchen and took them with him into the bathroom. He had every intention of ending his life, but he couldn't do it, he was too scared. He settled for flushing some of his father's nitroglycerine tablets down the toilet, smiling as they raced down the bowl, into the pipes. 

After that bout of strong depression towards the end of his middle school year he cheered up the tiniest bit, when a new girl came to the school. She was absolutely stunning, her red hair usually up in a high ponytail, accompained by large horn-rimmed glasses, similar to his own. Her full, red lips were so beautiful, he usually couldn't avoid staring at them. She was the prettiest girl he had ever cared to notice. He knew there were other good looking girls in the school, but most of them were either taken or too popular and cruel for Edward's liking. This new girl was perfect, because she was simply new, her personality not yet tainted by this drama filled middle school.

He found that he definitely adored her, after talking to her for a few brief moments in their science class. They were put in a group together for a project, where they were clearly the only two doing any work. Which was typically par for the course when he was partnered with Harvey Bullock. The other boy in the group was a stereotypical jock, wearing his letterman jacket and strutting around like he owned the place. At some point during the project, the beautiful girl he'd been secretly pining for, Kristen, actually started laughing and talking flirtatiously with the jock of the group, Dougherty. Edward could barely contain his confusion and jealousy at the display. But, sadly, school ended shortly after that, and, last he heard, they were an 'item'. Well, this year Edward was determined to win Kristen's heart. So, the morning before school started, he practiced what he would potentially say to her in the mirror, shying away from it when he heard a familiar, yet oddly deep voice berrade him for his efforts.

 _'You look ridiculous...do you really think a beautiful girl like her would ever go for a guy like you!?'_ He winced at the insult, pressing his fingertips into his heated temples. ' _Especially with hunky Tom Dougherty hanging off of her arm?'_ Edward furrowed his eyebrows at the use of the word hunky before shaking his head to try and expel the hallucination from it. 

"You're not real!" The sweater clad brunette muttered loudly, avoiding the mirror at all costs. "Not real-"

' _I'd have a better chance with her-'_

"Don't you  _dare-_ "

' _I'd love to see what those lips of her's-'_

"Shut up!" He shouted to his mirror-self loudly, too loudly, punching the mirror in the process. He stood there shocked after it happened, mouth hanging slightly open as he stared at the spider-webbed glass. The lanky brunette then curled his damaged fist, bringing it to his face for closer inspection. It burned like hell and was actually bleeding, but, thankfully, there were no glass shards stuck under his skin, this time. He let a shaky sigh past his lips, not surprised when his mother came barreling through his bedroom door a moment later. 

"Oh!" She exclaimed, sounding more exhausted than actually upset. "Jesus, Marry and Joseph! Edward James Nygma, what the hell is wrong with you!?" The tall fifteen year old simply raised and lowered his shoulders in reply, not trusting his voice at the moment. "I swear to Jesus...if your father were home-" she trailed off abruptly, shaking her head in disappointment as she left the room. The moment she was gone Edward collapsed onto his small bed, sighing loudly as mosture built in his eyes. "And I expect all the blood to be cleaned from my carpet by the time your father gets home!" After hearing that Edward couldn't hold it in any longer, he openly sobbed, holding his long legs to his heaving chest. He hadn't cried in what felt like years, and it was almost therapeutic to get it out of his system. Though the tightness he felt in his chest was stifling.

' _Like I said...pathetic.'_ His sobs increased in volume when he heard the deep, all too familiar voice in his ear. ' _Someday you'll be someone, Edward, don't worry-'_ Ed choked on a particularly heavy sob, eyebrows furrowing in worry as the voice took on a more menacing tone. ' _I'll help you!'_ Edward shook his head and started to rub at his red and puffy eyes, hiccupping slightly.

"No! I don't want your help!" He choked out, voice hoarse. "I don't need you!" He spit out, eyes narrowing in anger.

' _Don't worry, Eddie...I'm not going to help you just yet..you still have time in the light, for now.'_ Edward shook his head faster, making himself even more disoriented. ' _You're wrong about me...I can help you..and I will!'_

"No!" He shouted yet again, shoulders shaking as he heaves in another difficult breath. "I won't let you do anything to Kristen!" After that proclamation he heard teasing laughter closing in on him from all sides of the room, so he covered his head with his hands, taking in shaky breaths.

 _'Oh, but you will! Face it, Ed, we both know who the dominant one is here.'_ Edward shook his head again, but with more defiance this time.

"No!" He shouted loudly, pulling his legs away from his chest slowly, eyes still closed tight. "No!" He slowly grabbed his olive green pillow from his bed, knuckles turning white as he held onto it. "I don't want you here, I don't need you!" Edward turned the pillow over and swung it wildly behind his head. "GET OUT!" His mother quickly barreled into his room moments later, rolling pin in hand. Edward quickly opened his watery eyes and grimaced at the sight. 

His mother didn't cook. 

 

\----

Ivy yawned heavily as she rose until she was sitting on her bed, careful to not drop the plant she was cuddling. It was her favorite flower, Lamprocapnos Spectabilis, more commonly referred to as the bleeding heart flower. She was able to quickly flop over onto her side without incident, well, it seemed that way until a certain flash of curly, dirty blonde hair made a very strained and annoyed noise. Ivy giggled a bit as she realized what had happened, nearly dropping the flower pot in the process.

"Ivy!" The curly haired lump mumbled into the blanket, quickly turning upright as the red haired girl slowly moved off of her. "What the hell?" The younger girl sat up when she heard Ivy's uncontrollable laughter. "Ivy...I had no idea you were in the business of growing and using illegal plants." She teased, Ivy laughing louder at the younger girl's very specific teasing. 

"No! No, that's not why I'm laughing-" The red head stuttered after she was finally able to control her voice somewhat. "You  _ASS_!" Ivy used a nearby pillow to gently smack Selina in the chest with. The catlike girl smiled playfully, grabbing her own special pillow from her designated side of the bed, hurling it at Ivy mercilessly. The still slightly tired girl pinned her arms to her pajama covered chest as she saw it flying towards her. Though, this proved to be futile, because the kitten patterned pillow immediately collided with the red head's forehead. As soon as Ivy looked up, Selina was arming herself yet again, so she laughed nervously, hands covering her disheveled head. "You win! You-you win...fluffball." Selina smiled at her victory, seemingly unperturbed by Ivy's nickname for her.

"Piece of advice?" She practically purred, adding to her catlike appearance. The plant lover sat a dopey smile on her face, sighing as she shrugged. "Never get in a pillow fight with me!" The red haired girl laughed loudly at that, nodding in agreement. Ivy briefly took a moment to shake her thick hair from her eyes, narrowing them when she saw the worried look resting over Selina's usually playful, brown eyes. Her previous smile immediately dropped.

"What's wr-"

"Ivy-" Selina gestured with her wide eyes towards the area where Ivy had set her favorite flowers earlier- _oh._ Ivy slowly looked over her shoulder, at her makeshift bedside table, she immediately winced when she saw the flower pot on the floor, shattered. Selina backed away from Ivy a bit when she suddenly looked back at her, eyes looking... _sad_? She was utterly flabbergasted when Ivy jumped forward and wrestled her into a hug. Selina winced when she suddenly felt something liquid touch the top area of her back, slightly uncovered by clothing. The younger girl thought she had well and truly lost it, because... _was Ivy crying_?

"Ugh-"

"Ivy...are you _sure_ you're not on anything?" She mumbled into the red heads mane of hair, trying to lighten the mood. She sighed when she felt Ivy shake her head 'no'. "Lady troubles then?" Ivy knew what 'lady troubles' Selina was referring to, and it wasn't the monthly pain kind. Ivy laughed quietly, her tears still trailing down her pale face. She pulled out of the hug awkwardly, her cheeks burning. Selina grinned at the sight.

"Actually-" they both start to laugh at this point, the red head clearly not as upset as she once was. They quickly dissolve back into silence, Ivy silently wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked over at Selina in confusion when she coughed expectantly. She narrowed her eyebrows before quickly raising them, suddenly remembering what she had said. "Oh, umm-"

"Ivy..is it Harleen again?-"

"You know me too well, fluffball." The girl nodded solemnly, picking at the lining of one of her newly stolen pillows.

"I hope that nickname doesn't stick!" The younger thief huffed, laying back down in her previous position. Ivy laughed gently at that, her tone turning a bit less cheerful as her thoughts started to wander back to a particular blonde. Selina noticed, sticking her toes in Ivy's face, making the girl laugh instead of garnering her attention. "Spill!" Ivy sighed yet again, nodding as she sat up farther on the bed.

"Well...it's Jerome again." She looked up at Selina from beneath her messy hair, seeing nothing but understanding in her catlike eyes. She briefly nodded for her to go on. "He's hurting her, Selina! He's hurting her bad!" The younger girl's eyes widened even more as Ivy's tone shifted yet again. "And she won't do anything-" her eyes suddenly popped out from underneath her long locks as she shook them away from her face, her look predatory. "We need to kill him!" Selina's eyes narrowed as she stumbled back on Ivy's bed, feeling something hard dig into her exposed hip. Ivy's eyes widened as Selina dug the hard item out from under the blankets. The young girl furrowed her eyebrows as her eyes were met with the sight of a half full, large jug of hard apple cider. Her eyebrow immediately rose in question.

"Ivy-"

" _Selina-"_

"Seriously? Hard apple cider?" Ivy was not expecting Selina to berate her on her taste in alcoholic beverages. 

"I mean, it was the only thing I could steal fast enough." She narrowed her green eyes as the feline-like girl started to giggle under her breath. "I'm still learning!" She mumbled defensively, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be yelling at me not to drink?" Selina sighed and shoved herself off of the barely soft mattress, stretching her uncomfortable, unused limbs. 

"Ivy, you know me well enough to know that's not my speed." Selina grabbed her large ball of rubber bands off of the cluttered floor, digging her long fingernails into it as she set herself on the edge of Ivy's newly made chair. "But if you're going to get drunk, you should do it right." Ivy raised her eyebrows as she saw a fond smirk appear on Selina's face. She then narrowed her eyes in suspicion. 

"Selina...this sounds like it's coming from someone with experience." The mischievous smirk she sent Ivy as she shrugged with faux innocence told the red head all she needed to know. "Really? When did you start drinking? When you were ten?" For the first time in a while, Ivy witnessed Selina's resolve faulter. 

"Um...younger, actually." She replied anxiously, still fiddling with her rubber band ball. She winced when she heard Ivy gasp, getting ready for a stern talking to. 

"Woah! We've got ourselves a little badass over here!" The older girl cheered, causing Selina to furrow her eyebrows.

"So, wait...you're not mad..or anything?" Ivy briefly laughed, fond, not at all chastising. Sometimes the red head almost forgot how young Selina really was. 

"Selina, please, you know me well enough to know that's not my speed!" The catlike girl smiled over at her, Ivy smiling back before picking up the half empty hard cider jug from Selina's side of the bed. She set it in front of her lips, throwing back her head as she took a short chug, pulling away with the liquid running down the sides of her mouth. Selina laughed at the image, sticking out her hand, wiggling her fingers to indicate she wanted some. Ivy shook her head at her, hugging the jug to her chest. Selina rolled her eyes at her with a huff. 

"You're no fun!" She whined petulantly, tossing her rubber band ball at the red head.

"Nope! I'm just not an enabler!" She replied, lifting the jug to her lips again. As soon as the room was silent once more, Ivy quickly finished off the cider, smacking her lips as she finished swallowing it all. "Ser-oh-" she burped quietly, shaking her head with a slightly dazed look. "Seriously, Selina...I want to kill Jerome." The younger girl nodded in quiet understanding, now fiddling with the seems of her fingerless gloves. "The bastard needs to go..Harleen doesn't deserve to be treated like that." The catlike girl nodded once more, tossing one of her gloves on the floor indifferently, after wiggling it off of her hand. 

"Okay." Selina responded solemnly, eyes devoid of their usual playful spark. Ivy lifted her eyes to Selina quickly, smiling at her in gratitude. Ivy hurriedly ran from her bed to the makeshift chair Selina was sitting in, giving her yet another surprise hug. 

"Thank you!" She waved the younger girl around in her arms, smile still in place. Selina couldn't help but smile along, a bit tightly, as she slowly started to hug Ivy back. 

"No problem." She mumbled into the red head's mane, smile dropping. "No problem at all." Ivy's blaring alarm clock pulled the plant lover from around Selina's neck, the girl, still in her pajamas, swore under her breath.

"Oh shit!" She yelled quietly, throwing off her 'Save the Planet' t-shirt and matching sweatpants, tossing them lazily onto her floor. Selina continued to sit on Ivy's chair made of different parts from different shipping containers as the forgetful girl got ready. The younger girl's eyes were blank as she stared forward, feeling very anxious about their previous conversation. "Sorry, Selina-" the red head actually addressing her pulled Selina slowly from her thoughts. "I have to get to school really soon!" She pulled on some bland jeans and a surprisingly stylish green sweater, tossing on some fancy flip-flops she kept by her bed. Selina's eyes followed her as she did all this, eyes widening a bit when Ivy ran up to her, kissing her briefly on the forehead, which was covered by a mop of curly hair. 

"Okay." The younger girl mumbled in reply, nodding her head pensively. Ivy nodded back, tossing her green, 'World Peace' bag over her shoulder as she headed for the door. Selina's worried eyes followed her yet again. Ivy looked back over her shoulder for a fraction of a second, sending Selina a large smile.

"Thank you, Selina!" She cheered, preparing herself to step out the door. "See you when...I see you!" The red head left the abandoned building quickly, leaving Selina alone to stew over her anxious thoughts.

"Okay." She sighed loudly, dragging herself off of the chair, and up the fire escape. 

"Okay."

 

\--

Harleen sighed heavily as she sat up on her bed, her hair still in a messy ponytail from the night before. She rolled her eyes at the memories, a headache already forming in the back of her head. It didn't at all help when her younger brothers came barreling into her room, backpacks thrown over their shoulders. Bud and Lou, the destructive twin puppies, followed at their heels, yipping excitedly. She couldn't handle all this, this early in the morning. Though she did have to agree that they were more useful than any alarm she'd ever used. All the same, she took her usual place as 'Head of the Household' as soon as she got out of bed.

"George! Ryan!" She shouted, too quietly, still not fully awake yet. She cleared her voice and batted her still blurry eyes a few times, grabbing her circular glasses from her bedside table and setting them on the bridge of her nose. "George! Ryan!" The blonde was loud enough now, causing both children to stop in their tracks. The puppies just wound themselves between each boy's legs, giving the exposed skin there small licks. Harleen couldn't stop herself from smiling at the display, regardless of the poor sleep she had gotten last night. The two blonde boys looked up at her in confusion when she didn't start yelling at them to get ready, prompting Harleen to pull herself from the small trance she found herself in. "It's time to settle down." She murmured, stretching her stiff limbs. The boys nodded then bounded straight back into the hallway, Bud and Lou were too distracted by Harleen's calico to follow. 

"Give it a rest, would ya guys?" She quickly grabbed her cat from where she was perched on her windowsill, petrified yet somehow still indifferent. The puppies still yipped happily as they moved over towards Harleen, licking her ankles. She couldn't help the happy laugh that left her lips, suddenly realizing after about two minutes of licking that she needed to get ready. She set her colorful cat down on her surprisingly bland bed, gently nudging the distracting puppies away with her feet. She sighed heavily as she slowly peeled her Queen of Hearts shirt off, wincing at her bruised abdomen in the bedside mirror. Jerome and his merry band of misfits really did enjoy being rough with her, she didn't mind though, sometimes she even sort of enjoyed it, even as she held back tears. Even now, moisture was building in her eyes. She sighed yet again, gently touching the bruised area, flinching, not surprised when it stung. She quickly grabbed her red shirt from it's hanger when she heard gentle knocking at her door, pulling the soft shirt slowly over her head, making it sure it didn't upset her bruises.

"Harleen?" Her mother's small, Jersey accented, voice questioned quietly through the door. The blonde sighed in relief, just thankful it wasn't her father. She started pulling on her overused pair of black jeans as she responded.

"Yeah?" Harleen could her mother's slippered feet shuffling nervously across the shag carpet, stopping just before her bedroom door.

"Are you alright? You were actin' a lil bit strange last night-" Harleen sighed loudly as she tossed on her ill fitting heeled boots, the pair she had stolen from her mother's closet.

"I'm fine, Mom!" To complete her look, she messily applied mascara to her eyelashes and lipstick to her lips. Instead of her usual messy bun or ponytail, the blonde girl put her hair in two neat pigtails, both placed on the back of her head. She smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror, knowing Jerome would appreciate her quirkiness. She sighed again when she realized her mother hadn't moved away from the door, instead the shuffling noise growing louder.

"You didn't..use anything illegal did you, Harleen-"

"No!" Harleen sounded on the verge of a growl as she replied, so she tried again. "No, Mom, I didn't." After a few moments of silence, Harleen finally heard the shuffling of feet, away from her door this time. She quietly sighed in relief, barely registering her mother's incessant grumbling. After one last look in the mirror, the blonde hummed, eyebrows furrowing as her black and red cased Android vibrated loudly against her bedside table. The blonde ignored it for a few brief moments, in favor of fixing a few loose strands of blonde hair. When the ZTE phone finally went silent, Harleen's curiosity piqued, she quickly walked over to her still charging phone, detaching it from the white plugin. As soon as her screen lit up, she was greeted with the sight of Ivy's cheery face. The blonde smiled at the memory of that day at the carnival, she thought back on the beautiful rides and the multicolored cotton candy, and-Harleen's eyes quickly wandered to the notification bar on the top of the screen. The logo for the messenger app showed up several times, causing the blonde to furrow her eyebrows as she swiftly logged into her phone, with surprisingly little incident. She briefly smiled as she saw that most of the messages were from Ivy. 

 

 

** Ivy-  _Hey, Harleen!_ **

**_You know Jerome, yeaj_ **

**_*yeah?_ **

**_Wr_ **

**_Well, he's a duckmuffin_ **

**_I wpuld correct that, but it was pretty funny_ **

**_Okay, I givd up on typing!_ **

 

 

Harleen smiled fondly at the messages, that were all from last night, picking up on Ivy's obvious drunkenness. She wished for a moment that Ivy would've invited her to hang out last night, but when she saw the attached picture which featured Selina and her laying comfortablely in her bed, she realized why she didn't. The blonde sighed as she scrolled down, finally stumbling upon the more coherent texts, from this morning.

 

 

**Ivy- _Hey! Good morning sunshine!_**

**_I'm heading to school right now, I hope to see you there!_ **

**_(yes, I'm aware of how stupid I sound right now, and, by the way, I'm sorry about all those annoying texts from last night. I was really tired, and more than a little drunk.)_ **

**_Anyway, I'll see you soon, love ya!_ **

 

 

Harleen smiled again at the messages, an almost content sigh pushing past her lips as she gingerly sat back down on her bed, her previously sleeping cat meowing in protest. 

"Ah, be quiet!" She mumbled at the calico, gently petting her fluffy head. For a moment, all her thoughts were on Ivy, and how she wished she could've spent more time with her over the summer. She was just so busy with Jerome-"oh geez!" She slapped her palm against her forehead with a loud grunt. Of course Ivy hated Jerome, not just because he occasionally beat on her, but because he took one of her friends away. "I'm such an idiot." She added hurriedly to herself as her phone vibrated against her thigh. She picked it up quickly this time, assuming it was Ivy again. When she saw that both texts were from Jerome, her eyes widened, he had sent two simple emoticons, one a winky face and the other a laughing one. That was all she needed to read, knowing exactly what that was code for. She pulled back her red curtains and smiled tightly when she saw Jerome's new Mustang parked in front of the house. She felt happy as she slowly opened her window, and though she would never admit it, a surprisingly large part of her was nervous, and not in the butterflies in your stomach sort of way. Though as she stood on her bed to navigate her way through the window, her conscience screamed at her to stop, her bruises were also screaming at her to stop and just stay put in her room. 

She didn't listen though, she never did.


End file.
